#i googled zero things for this so if the politics is wrong idc<3

[clusterbuck]

hmm 48 and 14

fake dating + bodyguard AU

what an absolutely iconic combination tbh

"if anyone sees us," eddie hisses, dragging buck down the deserted hallway, "this was--"

"i know, i know, entirely my idea," buck supplies cheerfully. well, as cheerfully as it is possible to whisper while being manhandled down the back corridors of a large convention center.

"and i still don't think--"

"that it's a good one, yeah, we've covered that one too." buck tries to shake eddie's hand off, but the grip on his bicep just tightens.

buck definitely doesn't shiver in response.

"my way or the highway, buckley," eddie says. "if you want out of here, you'll do as i say."

"honestly, you should be thanking me," buck says, ignoring the flash of heat that runs up his spine at eddie's commanding tone. it's not like it's something he'll ever get to explore anyway. "that was the world's most boring presentation, and i got you out of it."

"did you forget the part where this is your job?" eddie asks. "the part where you need them on your side if you're gonna be the youngest senator in pennsylvania state history?"

"nobody's going to notice one missing face in the audience," buck says with a dismissive wave.

"you're the guest of honour!"

"so we'll tell them there was, i don't know, a family emergency," buck says easily. "that always gets people on your side."

"your parents--"

"really," buck says, interrupting eddie before he can finish the thought. they've been having such a good time, it seems like a shame to mar it with the parents who will remain unmentioned. "i'm doing you a favour. it's not like i'm trying to drag you out to the club, you know, i just want to take off my belt and these uncomfortable shoes and not be on all the time."

"and how is that doing me a favour?" eddie asks, but his tone is softer and his grip on buck's arm loosens just a little.

"please, like i don't know your shift ends the second i'm in my room for the night. go home to your son, eddie."

"yeah, okay."

they fall silent for a moment, carefully padding down the hallway, when suddenly the echo of brisk footsteps carries down towards them. buck freezes, and beside him eddie's gaze darts between the bare walls and the locked doors.

buck shakes his head to clear it and struggles to assess his options. it's not exactly a question of life or death, but the optics of leaving a presentation put on specifically for him... depending on who's coming down the hallway, it could be the death knell for his senate campaign.

there's a small niche in the wall a few steps ahead of them, and it catches his eye.

"sorry about this," he says, and hopes against all hope that the element of surprise will be enough for him to get eddie to go along with him.

and it works. he guides eddie into the niche and covers his body with his own, pressing his lips to eddie's just as the sound shifts from an echo to the sharp clack of high-heeled shoes.

eddie stills in surprise, but only for a second. then his hand is on buck's waist, pulling him close, and his mouth is surprisingly pliant against buck's, soft and warm and welcoming. buck leans into him without meaning to, like it's a real kiss and not just a hasty effort to save his political ass.

the footsteps stop just behind him, and buck tightens his grip on eddie's lapel and fights to keep all his attention on eddie's mouth.

(it's not difficult.)

"oh!" a voice behind him says, and the person takes a few steps. "i didn't--uh, sorry!"

the footsteps scurry away in the direction buck and eddie had come from, decidedly faster than they'd been before. buck doesn't move, not until the echo fades away, when he finally drops his head to eddie's shoulder.

"sorry," he mutters. "i shouldn't have--it was just the first thing i thought of."

eddie doesn't say anything for a second, and when buck looks up he finds a flush creeping across his face. eddie swallows, twice, and blinks, slowly, with too-bright eyes.

"no," he says, "it's okay. it was good--uh, it was a good idea. smart."

"you don't think she--"

"i'm sure she would have said something if she'd recognised you," eddie says, slipping further back into his composed bodyguard persona with every word. "it's probably fine."

"your lips to gods ears," buck mutters, and eddie huffs a laugh.

"okay," he says. "think we can make it back to the hotel without any more incidents?"

"i make no promises," buck says, and eddie elbows him, and for a second it feels like nothing has changed between them.

but eddie is quiet as they finally make it out of the conference centre, and his hands hang awkwardly at his sides, no longer clutching buck's arm. a sinking feeling takes hold in buck's stomach, and only grows as they cross the street to the hotel.

there'd been a second, just after the kiss, when he'd thought maybe eddie had been into it. when he'd seen eddie's pink cheeks and wide eyes, heard the way his voice caught on it was good--

but it was all gone now, vanished in an instant when eddie flipped the switch back to bodyguard mode, and now all that's left is an uneasiness that's never existed between them before.

he didn't want it, buck thinks. i made a snap judgement and miscalculated like usual and now he's going to put in for a transfer, yet another person leaving me.

well, isn't that just typical.

by the time they get to the door of buck's hotel room, eddie is more distant than buck remembers ever seeing him. eddie watches him open the door and does a quick sweep of the room, then steps outside and nods at buck.

buck slips halfway into the room, then turns back to look at eddie. "good night," he says, trying to muster a smile. "say hi to christopher for me."

"night," eddie says and turns on his heel without another word. he exchanges a curt nod with chimney, who's settled in for the night shift, and disappears silently down the hall.

buck closes the door with a sigh. he'd been looking forward to being alone in his hotel room all day, but now the silence is heavy with the lack of eddie and all he can think about is how he'd fucked it up again, and now eddie's never going to want to see him again.

despite how hard he tries not to, he falls asleep thinking about eddie's lips on his.

--

in the morning, buck wakes to an angry knock on his door. it flies open before he can do much more than sit up in bed, and karen marches in, eddie in tow.

for the life of him, buck can't decipher eddie's expression.

karen flings a newspaper down on the bed in front of buck. there, front page above the fold, are two images side by side: one of buck and eddie walking down the hallway, clearly recognisable, and one of them tucked in the niche with their bodies pressed against each other.

"i--" buck starts, and closes his mouth when he can't think of anything to say. then, "but how?"

karen unfolds the newspaper to reveal a headline proclaiming SECURITY CAMERAS REVEAL SENATE-HOPEFUL'S SECRET SEXCAPADES.

"security cameras," buck mutters. right. he glances at the images again and notices they're timestamped, neat black-and-white numbers in the bottom right corner.

so there's no pretending the second picture is someone else.

he reads over the headline again and snorts. "it was hardly a sexcapade."

karen heaves a long-suffering sigh. "that's not--"

"not the point, i know," buck says. "but--we can spin this, right? you can spin it?"

"you're damn right i can spin this," karen says. "we'll just lean into it. america loves a love story."

buck looks up so fast he hears his neck crack. "you don't mean--"

"i do," karen says, and gestures between him and eddie. eddie, who--buck is pretty sure--would rather be literally anywhere else in the word right now. "as far as the media is concerned, this is happening. forbidden love. very media-sexy."

eddie still won't look at buck.

send me a trope mashup

(so... this is actually more like the precursor to fake dating oops maybe i will continue it someday if there is interest)

#i googled zero things for this so if the politics is wrong idc<3 #usercombat #buddie #buddie fic #911fic #(let) #ask emma #emma writes #me with all the real fic i've been writing this week: nothing #me with this dumb lil ficlet: oh heck yeah let's go apparently #this was supposed to be like 300 words but oh well #bodyguard au